14 Search results for "meritocracy"

The Symptoms of Capitalism
By Amber Butts Every day I’m resentful of capitalism. And when I say capitalism, I don’t mean the binary, often well-meaning but willfully simplistic response of “Well, you have an iphone don’t you?” (I do not, but that’s besides the point). I mean the ways capitalism and its siblings (environmental and medical racism, antiBlackness and […]
Poverty appropriation & the moral depravity of a society where elite education has the highest stakes
Editor’s Note: This month at BYP, we will be exploring Education & Schooling, and we are interested in publishing works that address these topics. What are the implications of charter and private schools in communities of color? How do we counteract anti-Black textbooks and teachers in our children’s education? How did you heal from bullying […]
Scarcity and shame are symptoms of capitalism
Every day I’m resentful of capitalism. And when I say capitalism, I don’t mean the binary, often well-meaning but willfully simplistic response of “Well, you have an iphone don’t you?” (I do not, but that’s besides the point). I mean the ways capitalism and its siblings (environmental and medical racism, antiBlackness and state sanctioned violence) […]
Black liberation requires making room for uncomfortable manifestations of mental illness
May is Mental Health Awareness Month and National Masturbation Month. This is also the month that we celebrate Mother’s Day. At BYP, we will be exploring these topics alongside the theme of Imagination and the Arts, and we are interested in publishing works that address these topics and the things surrounding them. We want to […]
$The recent college admissions scandal is just a fraction of the rigged American Education System$
The recent college admissions scandal is just a fraction of the rigged American Education System
by Daniel Johnson Regarding the abject brutality of the way the criminal justice system discards Black bodies and lives, writer Kirsten West Savali describes the practice in this way, reframing the common narrative that the criminal justice system is merely broken: “The system is not broken, it is functioning exactly as intended.” There is little […]
Letter to my Black mother who wants me to forgive the world when I saw it try to kill her
By Kejhonti Neloms I can never forget the time when your car broke down in the parking lot of those shitty Flaget Apartments across the street from the old folks’ home. It was the West End. It was summer. It was 8AM. I think it was Sprint that fired you. Maybe it was Nextel. I […]
Colin Kaepernick files grievance claim against the NFL
Colin Kaepernick has filed a grievance against the 32 owners of the NFL, alleging that they have violated the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement by colluding to keep him from getting an opportunity to work as an NFL quarterback. Sources close to Kaepernick’s lawyers allege that the suit will lean heavily on the rhetoric of Trump […]
Why You Can’t Understand Black History Without a Critique of Capitalism
Many of our Black history idols have been immortalized for their work against racism carried out by whites, from the federal government on down. They have been applauded for their magical strengths and abilities to overcome insurmountable odds. Their legacies are contextualized through brief chapters in k-12 history classes, where examples of racism are narrowed down to physical […]
Report: even poor whites have it better than blacks in Maryland
The following post originally appeared on The Root under the title, “Surprised? Even Poor Whites Have it Better Than Blacks.” It was written by Teresa Wiltz. By: Teresa Wiltz From birth, practically, we’re told—again and again—that education is the golden ticket to the American dream. This is a meritocracy! Study diligently, put the work in and […]
In response to the man who refuses to believe white privilege exists
This piece originally appeared in TIME. It was written by Briana Payton, and appears under the original title, “Dear Privileged-at-Princeton: You. Are. Privileged. And Meritocracy is a myth.” By: Briana Payton While Tal Fortgang is not responsible for white male dominance in society, he should at least recognize that this social hierarchy is not […]
An Ode to Derrick R.O.S.E.
Very few athletes, or any person in the public eye for that matter, handle themselves with the amount of humility and class that Derrick Rose does. And I for one am so glad that he can be someone who kids look up to. More kids will believe that they can make it. Because he did.
Holding Our Celebrities Accountable
It is time. We cannot continue to support and give voice to “celebrities” who speak nothing but derision, superficiality, and foolishness. Last night, like many of you, I was unequivocally elated to hear Barack Obama’s speech at the 2012 Democratic National Convention. His eloquence always manages to invigorate our communities with a sense of vision, […]